Truth Beyond the Darkness
by moonxxdark
Summary: Taryn wants to save her mother and friend from their terrible fate, but to do so, she must first become a Hunter, and she's not certain that she can. The meeting of a boy at the Exam leads her on a journey to discover the truth of her dark past.


_A/N: Hi! Yes, I've started writing a HxH fic. Be warned, there's an OC. I tried not to make her Mary Sue but who knows. Please review and let me know what you think!!_

Chapter 1:

I'm going to rescue my mother and Emma, no matter what it takes. I'm going to become a Hunter, and prove to everyone that I can do anything I put my mind to. At least, that's what I'd like to say. But, right now, I'm wondering if I'm really ready for the Hunter Exam. On that note, I'm wondering if I'll ever be ready for the Hunter Exam. Because at this point, I think I might have overestimated myself.

---

The sun was shining in a brilliant blue sky the day my perception on life changed forever. Shining isn't really the right word. More like it was beating down on my back with an unrelenting heat. But then, that's what I was used to. My days were always hot. Plant life was scarce. There were maybe a few scraggly-looking trees here and there, and maybe some dried up, stubborn clumps of grass, but other than that, nothing. It was like living in a furnace during the day, and a freezer at night. That was the way things were. I thought nothing of it, just like every other part of my life.

I was twelve. Mother had sent me outside, probably to get me out of her hair for awhile. I walked through the town, staring at my dirty, bare feet against the sandy streets. Calluses on my soles and heels from long years of going barefoot protected them from the hot ground. Around me stood the familiar houses, or rather, shacks, that made up the part of town I lived in.

Outside the houses played children just as scrawny and dirty as I was. All of them were girls, except for the occasional boy toddler playing with his older sister. Boys older than three were working with the men, or playing in another part of town. The dirty part of town was for the girls.

I wandered the familiar streets. A dry wind blew against my face. A sound caught my attention. Looking up, my ears tuned, I followed the sound, and my feet led me to the town square.

A group of older boys stood in a circle, watching the scene playing out before them. In the center of the circle stood two of the boys, and on the ground, half sitting up, supporting herself on a bleeding arm, was a girl about my age. Light brown hair, normally soft curls flowing around her shoulders, was now limp and plastered together by damp splotches of blood. Her usually delicate, oval face did not look so pretty. Her bottom lip was busted and dripping blood, and a bruise was already forming from the red mark around her left eye and cheek bone. Her dress had been torn at the neck, so that it gaped wide, just barely revealing a still undeveloped white chest. Though she was clearly in pain, she did not drop a tear or make a sound, but simply sat on the ground, her eyes averted in a sign of humility.

The two boys stood, one in front of her, the other behind her. One was slightly built. He was thin and lanky, and his black hair and tanned face were damp with sweat. His white shirt also stuck to his skin with sweat, and he was breathing heavily as though from a recent workout. The second boy, who stood behind the girl, was somewhat taller than the first, and his build was more muscular. I recognized all three of them.

The two boys I knew were brothers, though you couldn't tell by looking. The girl had not long ago been my best friend. She was only a year and a half older than me, and her name was Emma. Raldyn, the younger and more muscular of the two boys, took a wide step toward Emma. He grabbed her roughly by the arm, yanking her off the ground. She made no effort to resist.

"Apologize to your husband, woman!" he shouted in a gruff voice, then flung her to the ground at the feet of his brother, who glared down at her.

"Well?" the older boy, Lock, said impatiently.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me," Emma whispered hoarsely, lowering her head so that it almost touched his black leather shoes.

Lock frowned deeply, and kicked her hard in the chin, sending her flying back. Raldyn started to advance on her again, but I ran in front of him, bending down over the shaking body of the girl I considered my best friend. "Emma, are you okay?" I asked her urgently, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. She didn't reply, but stayed still staring at the ground.

"What are you doing, wench?" Raldyn's voice demanded above me, and his rough hand grabbed my shoulder hard, grinding the bones together.

I let out a cry of pain, and jerked backwards. Raldyn laughed, and flung me onto my back. "That's what you get for interfering." He glanced over me, and his mouth broke into a cold grin. "So, it was you," he spat. "I should've known." He strode over to where I lay, biting my lip against hot tears, and again roughly grabbed me and shoved me back down.

"So, just what were you doing, little Taryn girl?" he asked, looking down at me. I couldn't find a voice to reply. My head was throbbing, and the world tilted lightly in my vision.

When I said nothing, Raldyn snorted, and walked back to where Emma's body still crouched limply on the ground. Clenching my eyes shut to ward off the pain and dizziness, I struggled to my feet. Stumbling so that I had to catch myself with my hand to keep from falling, and scraped my palm, I wobbled as quickly as I could to Emma, and fell down beside her. I waved out a fist weakly at Raldyn's leg, barely managing to make contact.

"Stop it!" I tried to yell, but my voice caught in my throat, and it came out as barely more than a whisper.

Raldyn stiffened, and I could sense his anger without even looking into his face. I was scared and shaking from pain, but I bent back over Emma, placing my hands once again on her shoulders. "Em, are you okay?" my hoarse voice whispered.

I felt her move slightly underneath me, and slowly, with great effort, she raised her head ever so slightly. "G-get away from me," she choked out.

I stared at her blankly, not comprehending what she had said.

Emma braced her shoulders, and with as much strength as her frail, injured body could muster, threw me off of her. I sprawled on the ground, staring up at her, my eyes wide. "I said, get away from me," she gasped through clenched teeth. Her body gave way, and she fell so that she was once again on her hands and knees, but her gray eyes still glared firmly at me.

"Haven't you caused me enough trouble already?" she whispered angrily. "This was your fault to begin with." She broke into a cough that shook her whole body, and blood splattered her chin and the ground beneath her as she coughed.

Lock, her husband, walked over to her and pulled her up by her arm. Barely supporting her, he half-dragged her out of the circle and back to the house where they lived, and slowly, the circle of people broke up and followed them. Raldyn loomed over me, staring mockingly down at me as I watched my once best friend limp away from me.

Raldyn nudged me hard in the ribs with his foot, as if checking a dead animal. Laughing, he spoke. "You see what happens, little Taryn?" he snickered. "No one wants to be around you. You're lucky I even deem you worthy to look at."

Once again, I struggled to my feet, doing my best not to fall back down. I glared at him as defiantly as I could.

His eyes narrowed. "You're very irritating, little Taryn, you and those creepy eyes of yours," he whispered. "Why don't you just stay down?"

"I-I won't ever stay down for you," I spat back as strongly as I could, wondering what he meant by 'creepy eyes'.

As before, I sensed his anger like a physical force, reaching out at me from the depths of his body. He began to move toward me, but stopped himself. He grinned at me, his eyes gleaming. "Let's see how long you keep that defiant glare," he said, then turned and walked away.

---

I'm standing somewhere in a dark forest. My breath is coming hard and fast, like it did at that time. My eyes dart around the trees surrounding me, and my heart races. I came here looking for something called 'Navigators', but all I found was an empty house. Then something attacked me.

For a split second, my eyes catch the dark figure of the beast that attacked me, hidden among the trees to my right. My body whips around, heart still pounding, my arms in front of me, poised to defend. The glimpse of the figure is gone, and a moment later, a young woman with strange tattoos on her arms and face comes out. She is limping, and her hand clutches at her shoulder, as though she has been wounded. She limps toward me, and her face is stricken, as if with pain. "Please, help me," she barely manages to gasp.

The woman comes ever closer, and it's clear she needs my help, but something is wrong. I know I saw the creature that attacked me, even if it was just for a second. I back away from her. "St-stay back," I whisper. I'm afraid. Afraid of many things. What if I'm wrong, and she's just a normal girl who really does need my help? What if I'm right, and she is that beast? Will I really be able to fight? Up until now, I've just been running.

Time seems to be moving in slow motion as these thoughts run through my head. The girl stops, staring at me as though I've struck her down. "Please!" she gasps again. "I-it just came out of nowhere, and attacked me." She stumbles, almost falling. "Please, it hurts."

I can't take it. I'm still afraid, and uncertain, but she reminds me too much like Emma. Someone has to take care of her. I'm the only one. I force my feet to move toward her. Fear makes it hard to move. I'm so scared. I wish it would just end now. The girl falls on her hands and knees, and a memory flashes across my mind. Something sparks around my vision, and I feel some strong emotion pushing me forward.

"Hold on!" I shout at her, bending down to look at her. "I-I'll figure something out!" I look around earnestly, trying to find something that will help her. I don't have any bandages; there's nothing to bind a wound with. "It'll be okay!" I think I'm trying to convince myself more than her, but I have to do something.

Something sharp grips my arm, causing me to cry out in pain. I look down to see the arm of the creature gripping my wrist. Blood drips down from three long gashes. Horrified, I look back at the girl, but she is no longer there. Instead, in front of me is the face of the beast that has grabbed my arm. My body jumps back automatically, but the grip on my arm stays tight.

"I-I was right! It was you!" I gasp.

"Heheh. That's right," the creature snickers, "but it's too late now."

It raises it's other arm, razor sharp claws ready to tear me apart.

"Why are you doing this?" I scream, and the spark in my vision comes again. I press my caught wrist hard against the thumb-like feature of the hand gripping my wrist, and I manage to break free.

As I've learned, I kick the creature hard in its thin, furry stomach. My kick doesn't do much, only sends sliding backwards a few feet, but I've caught it off its guard. I've bought myself a few seconds to think. My skips around, trying to think what to do. I'm not used to running in this terrain, obstructed by trees and shrubbery, so my endurance is almost at its limit. It's clear that my strength can't match the beast's. My few seconds are up. The creature has regained itself. I brace myself against the attack, and then it clicks.

"You're the…Navigator?" I ask hesitantly. I can hear my heart pounding against my ribs. I hope I made the right decision this time.

The creature doesn't move for a moment, and then it changes back into the girl from before. She smiles. "Well, you're almost right," she says. "Hey!" she yells into the trees.

I hear something move behind me, and my body tenses automatically. "Relax, we're not going to hurt you," a man's voice says behind me.

I turn around, too afraid to let my guard down, and see three people standing there, two men and a woman. The woman smiles kindly at me. "Congratulations," she says. She indicates to the man standing to her left, the older one. "This is my husband. We are the navigators, and you've passed this test."


End file.
